Amplitude
- February 03, 2003 00:00 AM PST
Sony�s sequel to Frequency takes the music out of the tunnel of rhythm and into the city streets of groove.
Don�t go calling it Frequency 2. And don�t go thinking it�s just another Sony/Red Bull Electronica Showcase, either�the 26 or so songs that form Amplitude�s sonic landscape are an eclectic mix of MTV, VH-1, and Channel 96 1/2 (everyone�s favorite 24-hour acoustic techno sousaphone station) on your Digital Radio. It�s pretty much guaranteed you won�t find David Bowie, Garbage, Logon7, and Weezer together on the same festival bill this summer�but on the PS2, they all share a common cosmic stage.The gameplay in the preview build of Amplitude worked pretty much the same as its predecessor's: tap buttons (L1, L2, R1) in time with the notes as they come rushing at you on the screen, a sort of William Gibson�styled PaRappa jaunt through the realms of trippy rhythm matching. Instead of recycling Frequency�s eight-walled Tempest tubule, however, Amplitude opens things up by providing five flat �streets� representing different instrumental or vocal tracks of the songs, leaving the backgrounds open to showcase sweeping cyperpunk cityscapes.
Amplitude will also expand on Frequency�s amorphous four-player remix mode by letting budding DJs remix tracks in an online forum, provided you have the PS2 Network Adaptor and a keen psycho-karmic attunement to the grand universal groove.
